Dr. Ed-2

mar this adaptation of the great Thornton Wilder play about mutability and one man (town's) place in the universe. Paul Newman, Jane Curtin, and Jayne Atkinson fare best. Jeffrey DeMunn is a little too "actorish," and the young leads lack spark and pale when compared to the luminous performance of William Holden and Martha Scott in the 1940 film. Not bad, but not great either. No two accents are alike (considering this is a turn-of-the-century New England town)---even among families. If you can't do accents, why bother?

is the totally mesmerizing musical number headed by Tisha Campbell in an all-out Supremes homage. Try taking your eyes off Jasmine Guy as she gyrates through this number. Great song with campy, over-the-top choreography as Guy and 2 other slink and stalk across the stage in skin-tight gowns. The high point of the film! Was this song a hit back in 1988?

with nice performances by Kay Francis and Pat O'Brien, but it's old vet Thurston Hall as Kay's father who steals the show as the lewd and carefree old rogue. Kay wears a couple of truly hideous outfits but otherwise looks great as usual. Lots of supporting players help spark this breezy film: Grant Mitchell, Sarah Edwards, Georgia Caine, John Eldredge, Gordon Oliver, Josephine Whittell, Joyce Compton, and even the usually stuffy Ralph Forbes.

badly acted..... excrutiating version of the lousy musical. Hideous central performance by David Hasselhoff, annoying staging and orchestration, boring sets, and a third-rate cast all add up to a quick turn-off. And not one decent song in the show. Bad, bad, bad!

The great Harold Lloyd has a total triumph in 1924's Girl Shy. This films is jam-packed with wit, slapstick, and old-fashioned sweetness. Lloyd found his perfect leading lady in Jobyna Ralston, who had just the right amount of prettiness and comic timing. Lloyd, of course, was the master of comic timing in everything from set pieces to still-spectacular chases across Los Angeles downtown streets. I especially liked the daydream scenes where the shy Harold conquers 2 great 1920s stereotypes: the Vamp, and the Flapper. I'd love to know who plays theses women in this film. I think she also appears as the girl with the hole in her stocking. This actress is a hoot as the parody of the vamp and flapper..... Altho I admire Chaplin, Keaton, and Harry Langdon as master comics, Harold Lloyd may have been the most complete of these star performers. His acting range was the broadest and his characters were never quite as vaudevillian--Harold Lloyd's everyman persona still rings true 80 years later. Bravo, Harold Lloyd!

This is likely the most underrated great romance picture of all time! The stars--William Powell and Kay Francis--are superb. The supporting players--Aline MacMahon, Franck McHugh, and Pat O'Brien--have never been better. The music score is a classic; the story a perfect gem. From the opening shot at a Far East bar, complete with a marvelous singing trio, to the final, heartbreaking moment, this film is the perfect 1930s concoction of great stars and a ridiculously silly plot made totally believable and palatable. Kay Francis was one of the top stars of the decade, and this is one of her best films; William Powell, also underrated, has never been more suave. Both deserved Oscar nominations for this great fiolm, as did MacMahon and McHugh for support (not a category for another few years). Kay Francis did everything during her reign as a top Warners star. It's amazing how she was able to go from fragile heroine to hard-edged woman and then throw in a comedy. A truly versatile and wonderful star rescued by TCM from obscurity. Sadly, neither Powell nor Francis would ever win an Oscar----Julia Roberts indeed!

from a solid cast makes this film a must see. No wonder this earned a best-film Oscar nomination! Edward G. Robinson turns in another terrific performance as the tough editor of a sleazy NYC newspaper. Marion Marsh starts out iffy but her final scene is excellent. Frances Starr, H.B. Warner, Aline MacMahon (of course!), and Boris Karloff are all excellent as well. Nice comedic support from Polly Walters as the operator and Harold Waldridge as the office boy. But it is Robinson who carries this ensemble film through its twists and turns and has a few swell lines as well. The only problem is Ona Munson, who is pretty dreadful as the pretty dreadful character of Carmody. Marsh is remembered for her Trilby to John Barrymore's Svengali, but this is a better performance. And what a shame Starr made only 3 films! Her telephone scene is a cinematic classic!

William Haines sparks this tale of a brash cadet who thinks West Point will really be something now that he has arrived. Terrific goony comic performance by Haines was his trademark--one that made him a top box office star from 1928-1932 and one of MGM's biggest stars. Joan Crawford and William Bakewell are fine too. And although this storyline may seem trite now, this was a huge hit, putting Haines and Crawford in a college football (a national craze during the 20s) story. After Haines blows off his big mouth one time too often and nearly gets shunned by fellow cadets, he turns in a wonderful performance as he swallows his pride and gets into the big game against Navy. Even with a broken arm, he wins the game for Army and regains his place at West Point. It's easy to see from this film and Show People (with the always underrated Marion Davies) why Billy Haines was a huge star of the time. He needs and deserves to be remembered!

Laura LaPlante is nearly forgotten now, but in the 20s and early 30s she was a big name in films. She made an easy transition to talkies and was a fine light actress as this film proves. LaPlante plays the title character, a mousy secretary who is all efficiency until she falls for her boss (Ian Hunter). Like so many other silent stars, LaPlante should have had a better and bigger career in 30s talkies. This cheapo production hinders but does not ruin her performance. This same story was previously filmed as Beauty and the Boss with Warren William and Marion Nixon, but this version is better. Laura LaPlante is probably best remembered now for starring in the first (and part-talkie) version of Show Boat and for playing Betty Hutton's mother in Spring Reunion.

Very underrated comedy stars Marion Davies (in her final film) as a woman who frumps herself up to land a secretarial job. Because the frump is efficient, the boss (Robert Montgomery) continues to chase women: a conniving shrew (Marcia Ralston) and a blonde beauty (Davies!) who he meets at a nightclub. Role-reversal comedy is fun from the start with Davies at her comic peak as the dour frump. She's not afraid to look really bad. Excellent supporting cast includes Patsy Kelly, Allen Jenkins, Frank McHugh, Louise Fazenda, and Mary Treen. Once again Davies proves she had acting talent (given the right roles) and that was was a total delight. Her best comedy performances stand up against those of Carole Lombard, Myrna Loy, Jean Arthur or Irene Dunne. Catch this one.

What a disappointment and what a boring mini. Totally wasted the talents of Jackie Burroughs, Parker Posey, Joel Grey, Billy Campbell, and John McMartin. Hideous "happy" ending and quickly tied-up endings. There may have been a good story, but it didn't make it to the screen (and Maupin wrote the damned screenplay himself).

in her first all-talkie film is ok but miscast as the English rose who loses her violinist husband (Basil Rathbone) to a predatory womn (Kay Francis, who steals the film). Billie Dove tries hard and her acting isn't really bad, but the accent comes and goes. At one point she mentions something as being "versa-till" which doesn't sound all that British. Kay Francis is fun as the sexual predator and looks as gorgeous as Dove. Dove's talkie career lasted only a few years and consisted of about 10 films. She's much better (in a supporting role) in 1932's "Blondie of the Follies" with pal Marion Davies.

is a stagy and unconvincing melodrama about an unwed mother, a sleazy murder, and (of course) redemption. Elsie Ferguson isn't bad though as the lawyer who learns a terrible secret while defending a showgirl of murder. The rest of the cast, however IS pretty bad: Marian Nixon, Grant Withers, John Halliday, etc. go through their paces without much to offer. Ferguson had been a big silent star playing upper-crust ladies in "weepies." This film was an attempt to revive her career (after 5 years), but it was just too late. Her speaking voice is fine, but the new medium of "talkies" and the new Depression-era sensibility made it clear it was time for Elsie Ferguson to retire from the screen.

Despite the fact that Star! was a notorious flop in its day, the film boasts the best screen work by Julie Andrews. Although she does not really impersonate Gertrude Lawrence but that suggests her, the film persona is so far removed from Andrews' treacly stuff that she explodes off the screen in a series of lavish, witty, and brilliant production numbers. Along with the singing, Andrews displays a full range of acting chops from comedic to dramatic and even dances well. Contemporary critics quibbled about the differences in the singing voices of Andrews and Lawrence, but forget about it. Just enjoy this extravaganza for what it was meant to be: entertainment. Daniel Massey (Oscar nominee) is swell as Noel Coward. The rest of the cast, however, is pretty mundane. Gertie would have been pleased.

based on her reputation as one of the 30s biggest bombs. Imported from Europe to be the new Garbo/Dietrich/Rainer, Sten starred in three misbegotten Hollywood films that ruined her reputation. "We Live Again" with Fredric March looks as if it could have been better. I suspect sloppy editing that ruined the continuity and tooks the guts out. The result is a gorgeous film that is choppy; the ending is rushed--signs of bad editing. Sten returned to Europe and made occasional supporting appearances in US films. Good supporting cast includes C. Aubrey Smith, Ethel Griffies, Jane Baxter, Leonid Kinskey, Sam Jaffe, and silent-screen actress, Dale Fuller.

Slim comedy that boasts terrific comic performances by stars Sheridan and Brent as bickering secretary/boss who confront a hoard of adoring women fans who flock to see their favorite author (Brent). Good support from old reliables like Charlie Ruggles, Walter Catlett, Lee Patrick, and Jane Wyman in a small part. The stars are definitely better than their material here, but the film has a lot of funny lines and cute confrontations. Ann Sheridan--one of the most underrated actresses of her time--is especially gorgeous!

is not her fault. The script is second-rate and although she and Clark Gable try hard to inject some life into this film, they can't do it. Lots of possibilities for snappy lines as in other Davies vehicles ("Cain and Mabel," "Ever Since Eve," "Page Miss Glory," etc.) but the scripters settle on the dull and boring aspects of Davies (a circus star) trying to become a goody-two-shoes to please Gable (a minister). Even supporting stars like C. Aubrey Smith and Maude Eburne don't get much to do. Watch for a young Ray Milland in the church scenes. One compensation: Davies looks great!

This simple story of country fold who go off to the sinful city achieves greatness because of its amazing cinematography and sets, special effects, and smooth acting of Janet Gaynor, George O'Brien & Margaret Livingston. This film remains unmatched in setting moods and reflecting inner turmoil of its characters via camera shots and lighting. This is a MUST for any serious film buff or historian. "Sunrise" not only ranks as one of the great silent films, it deserves recognition as one of the great films--period. Note: this is one of three films for which Gaynor won the first best-actress Oscar.

This film sounded promising but was a total dud. The script is terrible, a ripoff of 40s American noire classics like "Double Indemnity" and others. There is no continuity in dialog at all, with characters jumping all over the logic board. The acting of Anne Heywood, Robert Arden and Basil Dignam is atrocious. Over-the-top acting can be fun in the right genre, but this ain't it. On another note, the set decoration is among the worst I've ever seen, especially the front door/foyer area of Heywood's country house. UGH!!!!

this movie is a clunker. Francis plays a silly British wife who goes to Paris while her husband goes off to India. She falls under the spell of an unscrupulous Latin Lover (Ricardo Cortez) and ends up involved in his murder and blackmail. Francis looks great (as always) and does a good acting job, starting out as the silly wifey and becoming a more sophisticated (she thinks) woman of the world. Paul Kavanaugh, Doris Lloyd, and Nance O'Neill (as the evil sister-in-law) are good, too. The Paris beauty salon scene where Francis must decide on the shape of her eyebrows (she settles for "plaintive") is a hoot!

Marlene Dietrich is spellbinding as a woman who takes her son and flees her jealous husband who threatens to take him away. The husband (Herbert Marshall) goes to Europe for his health, but on the money Dietrich makes as the Blonde Venus. When he finds out she's also had an affair with Cary Grant, he goes ballistic. Thin plot has Marshall sending detectives around the world to follow Dietrich as she sinks lower and lower. She finally gives up the boy and returns to nightclub stardom. All ends well. Dietrich sings a few songs along the way and looks gorgeous, but it's her "Hot Voodoo" number, emerging from a gorilla suit via a slow strip, that is sexy and mesmerizing. The storyline is not terribly logical, but hell ... it's Marlene Dietrich doing what she did best: hypnotizing her audience with glamorous, allure, and wit.

Key word here is "revue." Don't look for a plot--there isn't one. MGM's first big "talkie," this film also served as the official "talkie" debut for a number of major silent-screen stars. Some parts are duds; others are gems. Best of all is the "Singin' in the Rain" numbers with Cliff Edwards and the Brox Sisters. The comic reprise with Marie Dressler, Polly Moran & Bessie Love is fun too. Norma Shearer and John Gilbert do well with a few versions of the balcony scene from "Romeo & Juliet." Laurel and Hardy, Jack Benny, William Haines, Joan Crawford, Marion Davies, and Conrad Nagel are among the stars. Take this film for what it is, and remember that it was an "event picture" back in 1929, seeing all those stars talk and sing! It was nominated for an Oscar as best picture of the year.

Marion Davies is wonderful as the Barbara Woolworth-like heiress in this comedy-drama. Despite her money (from her dad's five-and-dime-store) she is snubbed by snooty society girls at parties and as she vies for the love of a rich boy. Certainly one of Davies' better performances; she is quite charming.

as the wild playboy who depends on his uncle for money. One of the best light actors of the 20s and 30s, Haines shows off his stuff in this mild comedy; he's the whole show. What's important about this film is that it demonstrates what kind of career Haines could have had in Hollywood if he had been willing to play the game and "play straight." Because he wouldn't, Louis B. Mayer, scuttled his career (as he did John Gilbert's) and Haines quickly descended to B pictures. One of the top box-office draws of the late silent/early talkie period, Haines was washed up just a few years after this film. C. Aubrey Smith and Irene Purcell (lovely as the love interest) are fun.

toplines this ok comedy about an aging father (C. Aubrey Smith) who decides to gather his grown children from around the world. Davies is working as a chorus girl in New York when she gets the news that "daddy" wants her. Hmmmm, sounds familiar. Davies' considerable talents as a comedienne save this otherwise so-so comedy as she upsets the staid British countryside with her brazen American personality. Not as sharp as some other Davies comedies, but still worth a look. Ray Milland plays her long-lost "brother." Doris Lloyd, Elizabeth Murray, and Halliwell Hobbes are all fun, too.